Multi-stage turbocharger system

ABSTRACT

A turbocharger system comprises a first relatively small high-pressure (HP) turbocharger and a second relatively large low pressure (LP) turbocharger. The turbine of the LP turbocharger is connected in series downstream of the turbine of the HP turbocharger. A first exhaust bypass flow passage provides a bypass flow path around the HP turbine. A second exhaust bypass flow passage provides a bypass flow path around the LP turbine. A rotary valve is located at a junction of the first and second bypass flow passages and a first exhaust gas flow passage. The rotary valve comprises a valve rotor which is rotatable selectively to permit or block flow to the LP turbine and to permit or block flow to the first and second bypass paths.

CROSS REFERENCE

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/746,166 filed on Jun. 22, 2015, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/951,400 filed onNov. 22, 2010 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,062,594 on Jun. 23, 2015,which claims priority to United Kingdom Patent Application No. 0920437.1filed Nov. 21, 2009. The disclosure of each of the foregoingapplications is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a multi-stage turbocharger system.Particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to atwo-stage turbocharger system and a method for operating the same.

Turbochargers are well known devices for supplying air to the intake ofan internal combustion engine at pressures above atmospheric pressure(boost pressures). A conventional turbocharger essentially comprises anexhaust gas driven turbine wheel mounted on a rotatable shaft within aturbine housing connected downstream of an engine outlet manifold.Rotation of the turbine wheel rotates a compressor wheel mounted on theother end of the shaft within a compressor housing. The compressor wheeldelivers compressed air to the engine intake manifold. The turbochargershaft is conventionally supported by journal and thrust bearings,including appropriate lubricating systems, located within a centralbearing housing connected between the turbine and compressor wheelhousings.

In known turbochargers, the turbine stage comprises a turbine chamberwithin which the turbine wheel is mounted; an annular inlet passagewaydefined between facing radial walls arranged around the turbine chamber;an inlet arranged around the inlet passageway; and an outlet passagewayextending from the turbine chamber. The passageways and chamberscommunicate such that pressurised exhaust gas admitted to the inletchamber flows through the inlet passageway to the outlet passageway viathe turbine and rotates the turbine wheel. It is also known to improveturbine performance by providing vanes, referred to as nozzle vanes, inthe inlet passageway so as to deflect gas flowing through the inletpassageway towards the direction of rotation of the turbine wheel.

Another known approach to improving turbocharging efficiency for anengine with a wide speed/load range is to provide a sequential two stageturbocharging system, comprising one relatively small high pressure (HP)turbocharger and another relatively large low pressure (LP)turbocharger. The turbochargers are arranged in series so that exhaustfrom the engine flows first through the smaller turbine of the HPturbocharger and then through the larger turbine of the LP turbocharger.A valve-controlled bypass path is provided for allowing exhaust gas tobypass the HP turbine for instance at high engine speeds and/or loads.Similarly, the compressors of the two turbochargers are also arranged inseries, with air flowing first through the relatively large compressorof the LP turbocharger and then through the relatively small compressorof the HP turbocharger. Again, a valve controlled bypass is provided toallow the inlet air to bypass the compressor of the HP turbocharger forinstance at high engine speeds and/or loads.

In a sequential two-stage turbocharging system disclosed in WO2008/015400, exhaust gas flow through the HP turbine, LP turbine and HPbypass path is controlled by a single rotary valve which may bepositioned upstream or downstream of the HP turbine. In more detail, aprimary exhaust gas flow path comprises an inlet portion which deliversexhaust gas to the HP turbine and an intermediate portion which deliversexhaust gas from the HP turbine to the LP turbine. The bypass pathcommunicates between the inlet portion of the primary flow path and theintermediate portion of the primary flow path. The exhaust gas flowcontrol valve is a rotary valve located at a junction of the bypass pathand the primary path (which may be the inlet portion of the primary pathif the valve is upstream of the HP turbine, or the intermediate portionof the primary path if the valve is downstream of the HP turbine). Therotary valve comprises a valve rotator rotating in a valve chamber andoperable to permit or block flow through the bypass path and/or theprimary path that is again either the inlet or intermediate portions ofthe primary path depending on whether the valve is upstream ordownstream of the HP turbine respectively. In one embodiment in whichthe valve is upstream of the HP turbine, the valve comprises an inletport communicating with the inlet portion of the primary flow path, aprimary outlet port communicating with the inlet portion of the primaryflow path (so that flow to the HP turbine flows through the valve viathe inlet port and primary outlet port), and a bypass port whichprovides an outlet to the bypass path which communicates with the inletof the LP turbine (which may be via the intermediate portion of theprimary flow path). In another embodiment in which the valve isdownstream of the HP turbine, the valve comprises a primary inlet portcommunicating with the intermediate portion of the primary flow path,and a primary outlet port communicating with the LP turbine inlets (viathe intermediate portion of the primary flow path), and a bypass inletport communicating with the by pass path.

By rotation of the valve rotor to open, close or partially open/closeindividual ports the turbocharger system may be operated in variousmodes including a normal fired mode for modulating the exhaust gas flowto the HP and LP turbines, a braking mode (non-fired mode) in which thevalve is operated to provide a braking back pressure in the exhaustsystem, and an exhaust gas heating mode (fired operating mode) in whichthe valve is operated to restrict exhaust gas flow to thereby heat theexhaust gas flow.

Embodiments of the sequential turbocharger system of WO 2008/015400 mayinclude a wastegated LP turbine. The skilled person will appreciate thata wastegate is a valve controlled bypass flow path around the turbine.

SUMMARY

One embodiment is a turbocharger system comprising: a primary inlet forflow communication with an exhaust gas manifold of an engine and anexhaust outlet; a first relatively small turbocharger having a firstturbine with an inlet and an outlet; a second relatively largeturbocharger having a second turbine with an inlet and an outlet; aprimary exhaust gas flow path including an inlet portion for deliveringexhaust gas to the inlet of the first turbine and an intermediateportion for delivering exhaust gas from the outlet of the first turbineto the inlet of the second turbine; a first bypass flow path in gas flowcommunication with the primary inlet and the inlet of the second turbinethereby bypassing the first turbine; a second bypass flow path in gasflow communication with the primary inlet and the exhaust outlet therebybypassing the second turbine; and an exhaust gas flow control valveoperable to: i) permit or prevent selectively exhaust gas flow throughthe primary exhaust flow path; ii) permit or prevent selectively exhaustgas flow through the first bypass path; iii) permit or preventselectively exhaust gas flow through the second bypass path; wherein theexhaust flow control valve is situated in the inlet portion of theprimary exhaust gas flow path so as to permit or allow gas flow throughthe primary flow path by permitting or allowing gas flow through theinlet portion of the primary flow path; wherein the exhaust gas flowcontrol valve comprises a primary inlet port communicating with theprimary inlet; a primary outlet port communicating with the inletportion of the primary flow path; a first bypass outlet portcommunicating with the first bypass path; and a second bypass outletport communicating with the second bypass path; and wherein a recess isprovided in a wall which extends between two of the outlet ports. Incertain forms the wall extends between the first bypass outlet port andthe second bypass outlet port. In certain forms the recess is providedat a central portion of the wall. In certain forms the recess has adepth of at least 0.25 mm. In certain forms the recess has a flat bottomsurface. In certain forms the recess has straight edges cut at an angle.

Another embodiment is a turbocharger system comprising: a primary inletfor flow communication with an exhaust gas manifold of an engine and anexhaust outlet; a first relatively small turbocharger having a firstturbine with an inlet and an outlet; a second relatively largeturbocharger having a second turbine with an inlet and an outlet; aprimary exhaust gas flow path including an inlet portion for deliveringexhaust gas to the inlet of the first turbine and an intermediateportion for delivering exhaust gas from the outlet of the first turbineto the inlet of the second turbine; a first bypass flow path in gas flowcommunication with the primary inlet and the inlet of the second turbinethereby bypassing the first turbine; a second bypass flow path in gasflow communication with the primary inlet and the exhaust outlet therebybypassing the second turbine; and an exhaust gas flow control valvecomprising a valve rotor held in a valve chamber, the exhaust gas flowcontrol valve being operable to: i) permit or prevent selectivelyexhaust gas flow through the primary exhaust flow path; ii) permit orprevent selectively exhaust gas flow through the first bypass path; iii)permit or prevent selectively exhaust gas flow through the second bypasspath; wherein the exhaust flow control valve is situated in the inletportion of the primary exhaust gas flow path so as to permit or allowgas flow through the primary flow path by permitting or allowing gasflow through the inlet portion of the primary flow path; wherein theexhaust gas flow control valve comprises a primary inlet portcommunicating with the primary inlet; a primary outlet portcommunicating with the inlet portion of the primary flow path; a firstbypass outlet port communicating with the first bypass path; and asecond bypass outlet port communicating with the second bypass path; andwherein the valve rotor is provided with a recess which extendscircumferentially around a radially outer surface of the valve rotor,the recess being aligned with an end of at least one of the outletports. In certain forms the valve rotor is provided with a second recesswhich extends circumferentially around a radially outer surface of thevalve rotor, the second recess being aligned with an opposite end of theat least one outlet port. In certain forms the recesses in the valverotor are aligned with ends of the primary outlet port. In certain formsthe recesses in the valve rotor are aligned with ends of the firstbypass outlet port. In certain forms the recess has a depth of at least0.1 mm. In certain forms the recess has a width of at least 1 mm. Incertain forms one of the recesses is axially offset from a firstcylindrical portion of the valve rotor. In certain forms one of therecesses partially overlaps with a second cylindrical portion of thevalve rotor. In certain forms one of the recesses axially overlaps witha recess provided in a wall which extends between two of the outletports.

A further embodiment is a turbocharger system comprising: a primaryinlet for flow communication with an exhaust gas manifold of an engineand an exhaust outlet; a first relatively small turbocharger having afirst turbine with an inlet and an outlet; a second relatively largeturbocharger having a second turbine with an inlet and an outlet; aprimary exhaust gas flow path including an inlet portion for deliveringexhaust gas to the inlet of the first turbine and an intermediateportion for delivering exhaust gas from the outlet of the first turbineto the inlet of the second turbine; a first bypass flow path in gas flowcommunication with the primary inlet and the inlet of the second turbinethereby bypassing the first turbine; a second bypass flow path in gasflow communication with the primary inlet and the exhaust outlet therebybypassing the second turbine; and an exhaust gas flow control valveoperable to: i) permit or prevent selectively exhaust gas flow throughthe primary exhaust flow path; ii) permit or prevent selectively exhaustgas flow through the first bypass path; iii) permit or preventselectively exhaust gas flow through the second bypass path; wherein theexhaust flow control valve is situated in the inlet portion of theprimary exhaust gas flow path so as to permit or allow gas flow throughthe primary flow path by permitting or allowing gas flow through theinlet portion of the primary flow path; wherein the exhaust gas flowcontrol valve comprises a primary inlet port communicating with theprimary inlet; a primary outlet port communicating with the inletportion of the primary flow path; a first bypass outlet portcommunicating with the first bypass path; and a second bypass outletport communicating with the second bypass path; and wherein there is noseparation in the axial direction between the inlet port, the primaryoutlet port, first bypass port and the second bypass port.

Another embodiment is a system comprising: a primary inlet for flowcommunication with an exhaust gas manifold of an engine and an exhaustoutlet; a first turbocharger having a first turbine with an inlet and anoutlet; a second turbocharger having a second turbine with an inlet andan outlet, the second turbocharger being larger than the firstturbocharger; a primary exhaust gas flow path including an inlet portionfor delivering exhaust gas to the inlet of the first turbine and anintermediate portion for delivering exhaust gas from the outlet of thefirst turbine to the inlet of the second turbine; a first bypass flowpath in gas flow communication with the primary inlet and the inlet ofthe second turbine thereby bypassing the first turbine; a second bypassflow path in gas flow communication with the primary inlet and theexhaust outlet thereby bypassing the second turbine; and an exhaust gasflow control valve operable to: selectively control exhaust gas flowthrough the primary exhaust flow path; selectively control exhaust gasflow through the first bypass path; selectively control exhaust gas flowthrough the second bypass path; wherein the exhaust flow control valveis situated in the inlet portion of the primary exhaust gas flow path soas to permit or allow gas flow through the primary flow path bypermitting or allowing gas flow through the inlet portion of the primaryflow path; and wherein the exhaust gas flow control valve comprises aprimary inlet port communicating with the primary inlet; a primaryoutlet port communicating with the inlet portion of the primary flowpath; a first bypass outlet port communicating with the first bypasspath; and a second bypass outlet port communicating with the secondbypass path. In certain forms the valve is operable in a first mode toblock flow through the first and second bypass outlet ports, a secondmode in which flow is permitted through the first bypass outlet port toallow at least a portion of the exhaust gas flow to bypass the firstturbine alone, and a third mode in which flow is permitted through saidsecond bypass outlet port to allow at least a portion of the exhaust gasflow to bypass both the first and second turbines. In certain forms thethird mode exhaust gas flow is permitted through both the first andsecond bypass outlet ports. In certain forms when operating in saidsecond mode the first bypass outlet port is at least partiallyunobstructed and the second bypass outlet port is fully obstructed.

Further embodiments, forms, objects, features, advantages, aspects, andbenefits shall become apparent from the following description anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, byway of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a two-stage turbocharging systemaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of a valve rotor according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3 a-3 e are schematic cross-sections through an exhaust gascontrol valve of the two-stage turbocharging system of FIG. 1, showingthe valve of FIG. 2 in different positions for different modes ofoperation of the system;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the two-stage turbocharging system inaccordance with the present invention

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of the system of FIG. 4,illustrating a chamber in which the valve rotor of FIG. 2 is rotatablydisposed; and

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are perspective end views of FIG. 5 with the valverotor in place and partially cut away to illustrate a wastegate passage,the valve rotor being shown in different positions.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a turbocharger system according to analternative embodiment.

FIGS. 8 a-8 e are schematic cross-sections through an exhaust gascontrol valve of the system of FIG. 7 showing the valve of FIG. 7 invarious different positions;

FIG. 9 is perspective view the LP turbine housing of the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the valve rotor of theembodiment depicted in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIG. 1, the schematically illustrated sequentialtwo-stage turbocharging system comprises a relatively small highpressure (HP) turbocharger 1 and a relatively large low pressure (LP)turbocharger 2 connected in series to the exhaust manifold 3 of aninternal combustion engine (not shown) such as a diesel engine. The HPturbocharger 1 comprises a relatively small exhaust turbine 4 and arelatively small compressor 5. The LP turbocharger 2 comprises arelatively large exhaust turbine 6 and a relatively large compressor 7.

An exhaust gas flow control valve 8 is located within the LP turbinehousing 9 (see FIGS. 4-6) of the low pressure turbocharger 2 to controlexhaust gas flow to the LP turbine inlet. The exhaust flow control valve8 is operable to control flow exhaust gas flow from the manifold 3 viathree possible flow paths 10, 11, 12. A first, primary, exhaust gas flowpath 10 delivers exhaust gas from the exhaust manifold 3 to a LP turbineinlet path 13 via the HP turbine 4 and control valve 8. A first bypassflow path 11 delivers exhaust gas from the exhaust manifold 3 to the LPturbine inlet path 13 via valve 8 only, thus bypassing the HP turbine 4.A second bypass flow path 12 delivers exhaust gas from the exhaustmanifold to an exhaust outlet path 14 of the LP turbine 6, therebybypassing both the HP and LP turbines in a manner of a wastegate.

Exhaust gas (that leaves the LP turbine 6 or flows through the bypassflow path 12) in the exhaust outlet path 14 may be fed to a conventionalexhaust system which may include a conventional exhaust after-treatmentsystem 15. The after-treatment system 15 may be one of a variety oftypes of after-treatment system, including conventional systemsgenerally known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Types ofafter-treatment systems contemplated include those designed to removeparticulates, nitrogen-oxide compounds, and other regulated emissions.

As will be described in more detail below, the control valve 8 accordingto the present invention is operable to permit/block (and to modulate)exhaust gas flow to the LP inlet 13 from either the primary flow path 10or the first bypass path 11. It is also operable to permit/block (and tomodulate) exhaust gas flow to the LP turbine exhaust outlet path 14 viathe second bypass path 12, thus allowing some or all of the exhaust gasto bypass both the HP turbine 4 and the LP turbine 6 in the manner of awastegate.

The turbocharging system delivers compressed air to the engine(including any after cooler as appropriate) via an air inlet 16 to theLP compressor 7. An air flow control valve 17 is located between thecompressor 7 of the LP turbocharger 2 and the compressor 5 of the HPturbocharger 1 to control the flow from the LP compressor outlet path 18to the engine (after-cooler etc). The air flow control valve 17, whichmay for instance be a conventional butterfly valve (or other valve typesuch as a rotary valve, gate valve, flap valve, poppet etc), is operableto control air flow along two possible flow paths, a first flow path 19via the HP compressor 5, and a second, bypass, flow path 20 which allowsthe air flow to bypass the HP compressor 5. The air flow control valve17 can thus be controlled (for instance by the engine management systemelectronic control unit-ECU) to allow air flow to bypass the HPturbocharger 1 at the same time as the exhaust gas control valve 8 isoperated to exhaust gas flow to the LP turbocharger 2 to bypass the HPturbocharger 1. This is described in more detail below.

In FIG. 1, the exhaust control valve 8 is represented in schematiccross-section. The valve 8 is shown in detail in FIG. 2 and comprises avalve rotor 21 having a main body 22 and end stub shafts 23 the valverotor 1 rotates about the central longitudinal axis X within asubstantially cylindrical valve chamber 24 (shown in detail FIGS. 4 and5) defined within the LP turbine housing 9 at the junction of a passagethat leads to the LP turbine inlet 13, the primary exhaust gas flow path10 from the HP turbine 4, and the bypass flow paths 11, 12 from theexhaust manifold 3. The axis X extends generally transverse to the flowpaths 10, 11 and 12. The main body 22 of the valve rotor 21 is formed asa cut-away cylinder, the cut out portion defining a valve passage 25 inthe valve chamber 24. The radially outer surface 26 of the rotor formsan arc of a cylinder so as to rotate freely within the cylindrical valvechamber 24. This general form of valve is sometimes referred to as arotary plug valve or barrel valve.

One end of one of the stub shafts 23 has a reduced diameter with a flat23 a for coupling to a suitable actuator (not shown in FIG. 2). The cutout valve passage 25 is offset in the axial direction along the mainbody 22 leaving cylindrical portions 22 a and 22 b at each end. Theportion 22 a is relatively thick and has a groove 27 in its outersurface that is in flow communication with the valve passage 25 and canbe considered as an extension to that passage.

Rotation of the valve rotor 21 about the axis X rotates the valvepassage 25 and brings the rotor outer surface 26 into alignment withvalve ports of the paths 10, 11 and 12 respectively to block partiallyor completely the flow through the respective port/path. The rotation ofthe valve rotor 19 effectively rotates the valve passage 25 or thegroove 27 into register with the ports to permit exhaust gas flowthrough the valve chamber 24 along one or more of the exhaust flow paths10, 11 and 12, or to completely block the flow through the valve chamber24.

Appropriate bearing arrangements (not shown) for mounting of the valverotor 21 within the valve chamber 24, and appropriate valve actuatingmechanisms (not shown), will be known to the skilled person. Forinstance the actuator may be an electric actuator, such as for example astepper motor or other rotary electric actuator, or may comprise apneumatic or hydraulic actuator or any other form of actuator. Anactuator may be directly connected to one of the valve rotor stub shafts23, or to a valve rotor spindle (not shown) which may extend from one ofthe shafts. The actuator may be directly connected to the rotor orconnected to the rotor via a gear box or the like. Various possiblecoupling arrangements will be apparent to the appropriately skilledperson.

The movement and positioning of the valve rotor will typically becontrolled by the ECU, according to one or more control regimes. Forinstance, the position of the valve may be controlled in response toengine speed and/or load, the speed of the HP and/or LP turbines, or theboost pressure produced at the engine inlet manifold by the turbochargersystem.

Exemplary modes of operation of the turbocharging system including theexhaust gas control valve 8 are described below with reference to FIGS.3 a to 3 e. In these figures the valve rotor 21 and valve chamber 24 areshown schematically in cross-section profile. The valve chamber 24 hasfour ports, a single inlet port 30 and three outlet ports 31, 32, 33.The inlet port communicates with the engine exhaust manifold 3. A firstoutlet port 31 is in communication with the primary exhaust gas flowpath 10 upstream of the HP turbine 4. A second outlet port 32communicates with the first bypass path 11 downstream of the HP turbine4 but upstream of the LP turbine 6. A third outlet port 33 is axiallyoffset from the first two (and is therefore represented in dotted line)and communicates with the second bypass path 12 downstream of the LPturbine 6.

Referring first to FIG. 3 a this illustrates a position of the valverotor 21 and the valve passage 25 appropriate for exhaust flow controlat low engine speeds and/or loads when there is low exhaust mass flow.The second and third outlet ports (for the first and second bypassexhaust gas flow paths) 32, 33 are closed by the outer surface 26 of thevalve rotor 21 so that all of the exhaust gas flow from the enginemanifold 3 flows along the primary exhaust gas flow path 10 to the inletof the HP turbine 4 and then through the LP turbine. The air flow bypassvalve 17 will also be closed, or substantially closed, to force air flowthrough the HP compressor 5 (in practice it is beneficial to close thecompressor bypass valve 17 before the turbine bypass is closed toprovide load on the HP compressor 5 which will prevent HP turbochargeroverspeed as the turbine bypass is closed). The relatively small size ofthe HP turbine 4 means that the gas flowing through it reaches arelatively high speed and thus rotates the turbine 4 (andconsequentially HP compressor 5) at a relatively high speed, therebyproducing substantial boost pressure despite a relatively low exhaustmass flow rate. The relatively large size the LP turbine 6 means that itrotates very little so that the LP compressor 7 produces only marginalboost.

With the valve rotor 21 in the position shown in FIG. 3 a, the divisionof work between the HP and the LP turbines 4, 6 is a function of therelative flow areas of each turbine. The HP turbine 4 is providing themajority of the work and operating at a much higher expansion ratio thanthe larger LP turbine 6. If engine speed and/or load increases with thevalve rotor in the portion shown in FIG. 3 a, the expansion ratio ofboth turbines will increase, but the HP turbocharger 1 will continue toprovide most of the boost pressure (provided its effective expansionratio limit is not exceeded).

As the engine speed and/or load increases, the valve rotor 21 may berotated to uncover part, or all, of the second outlet port 32 for thefirst bypass exhaust gas path 11 to permit at least a portion of theexhaust gas flow to bypass the HP turbine 4. FIG. 3 b illustrates thevalve rotor rotated to a position in which the second outlet port 32 ofthe exhaust bypass gas path 11 almost completely uncovered but the thirdoutlet port 33 for the second exhaust bypass gas path 12 remainscovered. By controlling the position of the valve rotor 21 between thetwo extremes (port 32 fully closed as shown in FIG. 3 a and fully openin which the rotor is rotated slightly clockwise compared to theposition shown in FIG. 3 b), it is possible in accordance with thepresent invention to modulate the bypass gas flow through the bypass gaspath 11. For instance, as the engine speed begins to rise from a lowspeed and/or load condition, the valve rotor 21 may be rotated to beginto open the second outlet port 32 to permit some exhaust gas flow tobypass the HP turbine 4 so that an increasing amount of work is done bythe LP turbocharger 2 as the engine speed and/or load rises.

The precise position of the valve rotor 21 may be controlled inaccordance with a variety of different operating control strategies. Forexample, the valve 8 may be operated to maintain a particular expansionratio across the HP turbine 4, either to maintain the HP turbine 4 at aconstant expansion ratio or at an expansion ratio within an acceptablerange for particular operating conditions of the engine. The valve 8could alternatively or additionally be operated in order to maintain theHP turbine speed within a certain range, or below a certain maximum toprevent over-speed. According to another possible control strategy, thevalve 8 could be operated to generate a desired boost pressure at theengine intake manifold or to maintain the boost pressure within adesired range (e.g. above a minimum and/or below a maximum). Theprovision of appropriate sensors, such as turbocharger speed or boostpressure sensors, to provide appropriate control signals to the ECU willbe straightforward as will be appreciated by the appropriately skilledperson. The sensors might typically include sensors for monitoringengine speed and/or load, turbocharger speed, boost pressure produced byeach turbocharger, boost pressure generated at the engine intake andback pressure generated within the exhaust flow path upstream of thecontrol valve 8.

As the engine speed and/or load rises and the valve rotor 21 is rotatedfurther towards the position shown in FIG. 3 b in which the first bypassgas path 11 is fully open, work done by the LP turbocharger 2 relativeto the HP turbocharger 1 increases. Depending upon the particularcontrol strategy for the bypass exhaust gas flow modulation, the overallpressure ratio of the turbocharger system may for instance rise orremain constant as the expansion ratio across the larger LP turbine 6increases.

It will be appreciated that as the second outlet port 32 for the bypassexhaust gas path 11 is opened by rotation of the valve rotor 21, the HPcompressor bypass valve 17 may also be opened as an increasing amount ofboost is provided by the LP compressor. The overall boost pressureproduced by the turbocharging system may rise, or may remain constant,as the bypass exhaust gas path 11 is opened depending upon theparticular control regime for the control valve 8 and bypass valve 17.

At high engine load and/or speed, the valve rotor 21 is moved to theposition shown in FIG. 3 b in which the first bypass exhaust gas path 11is almost fully open or slightly further clockwise so that it is fullyopen. The turbocharging system again functions effectively as a singleturbocharger system, with virtually all of the work now being done bythe larger LP turbocharger 2. At this point the HP compressor bypassvalve 17 will typically be fully open to bypass the HP compressor 5.There will, however, still be some exhaust gas flow through the HPturbine 4 as there will be a pressure difference across it determined bythe relative sizes of the flow passages 10 and 11. Although this wouldproduce negligible work, it will nevertheless ensure that the HP turbine4 continues to rotate to help provide a smooth transfer of work withlittle turbo-lag in the HP turbocharger 1 as engine conditions changeand the valve 8 is operated to reduce the bypass flow, transferringcompression work back to the HP turbocharger 1.

FIG. 3 c shows the valve rotor 21 rotated to a position where the firstbypass path 11 remains fully open and the groove 27 is aligned with thethird outlet port 33 so that the second bypass path 12 is fully openedas well. It will be appreciated that by controlling the precise positionof the valve rotor 21 to vary the degree to which the port 33 isuncovered (e.g. between the positions of FIGS. 3 b and 3 c) the openingof the second bypass path 12 can be controlled as required to limit thework done by the LP turbine 6 and therefore the boost pressure of the LPcompressor 7. The second bypass path 12 thus affords a wastegate optionin which gas bypasses both turbochargers 1, 2. It will be appreciatedfrom this that the valve rotor 21 may be positioned so as to open theport 33 partially so that the wastegate bypass path 12 does not pass theentire exhaust gas flow, thereby allowing some exhaust gas to flow tothe LP turbine 6 to generate boost pressure if required. As withoperation of the valve described above in relation to FIGS. 3 a and 3 b,the position of the valve rotor 21 may be controlled via the ECU inaccordance with any appropriate operating regime.

The present invention thus provides a multi-stage turbocharger systemincluding an exhaust gas flow control valve 8 which can be operatedprecisely to modulate the exhaust gas flow to the HP and LPturbochargers 1, 2 in varied operating conditions, and in accordancewith various possible control regimes. The functionality of a HP turbinebypass valve and an LP turbine wastegate are combined into a singlecontrol valve. This may be regarded as a normal fired mode operation ofthe turbocharging system according to the present invention. Inaccordance with the present invention the turbocharging system may insome embodiments be operated in one or both of two further modes, namelyan engine braking mode and an exhaust gas heating mode.

Engine brake systems of various forms are widely fitted to vehicleengine systems, in particular to compression ignition engines (dieselengines) used to power large vehicles such as trucks. The engine brakesystems may be employed to enhance the effect of the conventionalfriction brakes acting on the vehicle wheels or, in some circumstances,may be used independently of the normal wheel braking system, forinstance to control down hill speed of a vehicle. With some engine brakesystems, the brake is set to activate automatically when the enginethrottle is closed (i.e. when the driver lifts his foot from thethrottle pedal), and in others the engine brake may require manualactivation by the driver, such as depression of a separate brake pedal.

In one form of conventional engine brake system an exhaust valve in theexhaust line is controlled to substantially block the engine exhaustflow when braking is required. This produces an engine braking torque bygenerating a high backpressure that increases the work done on theengine piston during the exhaust stroke.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the exhaustflow control valve 8 can be operated to provide exhaust braking,obviating the need to provide a dedicated exhaust brake valve. Whenoperating the exhaust gas control valve 8 in an engine braking mode inaccordance with the present invention, the valve rotor 21 is rotatedclockwise to block the port 30 from the engine exhaust manifold 3, andat least partially to block the port 31 that leads to the HP turbine 4inlet as shown in FIG. 3 d. Blocking the inlet to the HP turbine 4obstructs exhaust gas flow through the turbocharger system therebygenerating back pressure for engine braking.

The amount of back pressure generated can be modulated by appropriatecontrol of the position of the valve rotor 21 to vary the degree towhich the valve port 30 (and therefore flow to the HP turbine 4) isobstructed. It may be preferable to provide a path for a leakage flow toprevent back pressure exceeding a desired limit. Since in braking modeas illustrated in FIG. 3 b the valve rotor 21 completely blocks flow tothe inlet to the HP turbine 4, any gas flow through the turbochargersystem in the engine braking mode will flow only through the LP turbine.This ensures that there will be reduced boost pressure generated duringexhaust braking, and will also ensure that the HP turbocharger 1 cannotover-speed, bearing in mind that an exhaust brake is often applied whena vehicle is travelling long distances down hill during which there isonly light load on the engine but very high engine speeds can bereached. It would also be possible to operate the control valve 8 in anengine braking mode by rotating the rotor 21 in the opposite directionso as to block the second outlet port 32 and at least partially blockthe port 31 that directs flow to the inlet of the HP turbine 4. However,this is less desirable for braking because of unwanted boost pressurethat might be generated by the HP turbine and the potential risk of theHP turbine over speeding.

Whereas the exhaust braking mode is typically a non-fired operating mode(no fuel is supplied to the engine during exhaust braking), the controlvalve 8 may also be operated to restrict exhaust gas flow in a firedmode (in which fuel is supplied to the engine for combination) to raiseexhaust gas temperature in order to regenerate a catalytic exhaustafter-treatment.

Catalytic exhaust after-treatment system performance is directly relatedto the temperature of the exhaust gas that passes through it. Fordesired performance the exhaust gas temperature must be above athreshold temperature (typically lying in a range of about 250° C. to370° C.) under all engine operating conditions and ambient conditions.Operation of the after-treatment system below the threshold temperaturerange will cause the after-treatment system to build up undesirableaccumulations which must be burnt off in a regeneration cycle to allowthe after-treatment system to return to designed performance levels. Inaddition, prolonged operation of the after-treatment system below thethreshold temperature without regeneration will disable theafter-treatment system and cause the engine to become non-compliant withgovernment exhaust emission regulations.

For the majority of the operation range of a diesel engine for instance,the exhaust gas temperature will generally be above the requiredthreshold temperature. However, in some conditions, such as light loadconditions and/or cold ambient temperature conditions, the exhaust gastemperature can often fall below the threshold temperature.

In engine operating conditions, such as light load conditions, in whichexhaust temperature might otherwise drop below the required thresholdtemperature the exhaust control valve can be operated in an exhaust gasheating mode to restrict exhaust gas flow thereby reducing the airflowcooling effect and increasing exhaust gas temperature.

FIG. 3 e shows the position of the rotor appropriate to exhaust gasheating, which is a fired operating mode of the engine. Here the rotor21 is positioned to block significant exhaust gas flow to the HP turbine4 via the port 31 and to block flow to bypass path 11 to the LP turbine6 via the outlet port 32. At the same time the compressor bypass valve17 may be closed so that the incoming air flows through the HPcompressor.

The effect of operating the valve in this way is to reduce the gas flowthrough the engine for any given fuel supply level (whilst maintainingsufficient air flow for combustion) in order to increase the exhaust gastemperature for instance to a level required for efficient operation andregeneration of a catalytic exhaust after-treatment system or for aseparate regeneration operation. As mentioned above, this may forexample be appropriate in such conditions as light load conditionsand/or cold ambient temperature conditions. The heating effect can bemodulated by precise control of the valve body 21 to vary the degree ofobstruction of the outlet port 31 that leads to the HP turbine inlet.

As with other modes of operation of the exhaust control valve 8, theexhaust gas heating mode of operation of the valve 8 will typically becontrolled by the ECU. For instance, the after-treatment system mayinclude a temperature detector for determining the temperature withinthe system. The temperature detector may directly determine thetemperature through a sensor, or may determine the temperature throughcalculations and/or iterations in an algorithm or software routine. Thetemperature detector may determine the temperature within the system andprovide a signal to the ECU to facilitate control of the exhaust gascontrol valve 8 to effect a change in the exhaust gas temperature asneeded. The temperature determination could be made within theafter-treatment system itself, or at other locations such as the outletof the LP turbine.

The temperature determinations may be made at regular time intervals,for example a plurality of closely timed intervals, or could forinstance be effectively continuous. The ECU may be programmed to operatethe exhaust control valve 8 in an exhaust gas heating mode whenever thetemperature in the exhaust system is determined to have fallen below athreshold temperature.

An exemplary embodiment of the interconnected HP and LP turbochargers 1,2 is shown in FIG. 4. The valve chamber 24, which is shown in moredetail in FIG. 5, is integrally formed with a specially adapted LPturbine housing 9 and has an actuator 35 mounted to one side forconnection to the valve rotor 21 (which is removed for clarity in FIG.4). The inlet port 30 that receives exhaust gas from the engine exhaustmanifold 3 is shown open and has a flange 36 for connection to asuitable duct (not shown). The HP and LP turbines 4, 6 areinterconnected by a duct 37 that extends between the first outlet port31 and HP turbine inlet port 38 and thus forms part of the primaryexhaust gas path 10. The second outlet port 32 is diametrically oppositethe inlet port 30 and communicates with the inlet 13 of the LP turbine6. The third outlet port 33 is disposed alongside the first outlet port31 but is axially offset therefrom and leads to a wastegate passage 39defined in the LP turbine housing and forms part of the bypass path 12that leads to the exhaust gas outlet 14 of the LP turbine. This passagecan be seen in the cut-away view of FIGS. 6 a and 6 b in which the valverotor 21 is shown in the valve chamber 24. The HP turbine 4 has anexhaust gas outlet that is connected by a duct 40 to the inlet 13 of theLP turbine 6.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate the rotation of the valve rotor 21 betweena first position which corresponds to that of FIG. 3 b in which the port33 that communicates the wastegate passage 39 (forming part of thesecond bypass path 12) is closed and a second position which correspondsto that of FIG. 3 c in which the groove 27 in the valve rotor 21 isaligned with the port 33 so as to open the wastegate passage 39 to theflow of exhaust gas from the inlet port 30, thereby allowing it tobypass the HP and LP turbines 4,6.

FIG. 7 depicts a turbocharger system 100 according to an alternativeembodiment of the invention. The turbocharger system 100 is shown in apartial cut-away view, viewed from the turbine end, in order to bestillustrate the embodiment. The embodiment comprises a high pressure (HP)turbine 104 and a low pressure (LP) turbine 106. The turbine wheels ofthe turbines 104, 106 are not visible, but their locations are readilyapparent from the depicted HP turbine housing 107 and LP turbine housing109. Also shown in FIG. 7 is an exhaust control valve 108 which isconfigured to control the flow of exhaust gas received from an inlet 103connected to an exhaust manifold (not depicted). The exhaust controlvalve 108 comprises a substantially cylindrical valve chamber 124 and avalve rotor 121. The position of the valve rotor 121 within the valvechamber 124 controls the route taken by exhaust gas received by theexhaust control valve 108.

The valve chamber 124 has four ports, a single inlet port 130 and threeoutlet ports 131-133. The inlet port 130 communicates with the exhaustinlet 103. The first outlet port 131 is in communication with a primaryexhaust gas flow path 110 which is connected to the HP turbine 104. Thesecond outlet port 132 communicates with a first bypass path 111downstream of the HP turbine 104 but upstream of the LP turbine 106(this port may be referred to as a HP bypass port 132). The third outletport 133 communicates with a second bypass path 112 downstream of the LPturbine 106 (this port may be referred to as a wastegate 133).

FIG. 8 depicts the valve rotor 121 and valve chamber 124 incross-section, and shows various different positions of the valve rotor.As will be appreciated from FIG. 8, the valve rotor 121 may be movedbetween various different positions which provide engine braking,modulation between HP and LP turbines, and wastegating in which the HPand LP turbines 104, 106 are bypassed.

FIG. 8 a depicts an engine braking mode in which the valve rotor 121closes all three of the outlet ports 131-133. FIG. 8 b depicts a mode inwhich the first outlet port 131 is open and the other outlet ports 132,133 are closed. In this mode exhaust is all directed to the HP turbine104. FIG. 8 c depicts a mode in which the first outlet port 131 is fullyopen and the second outlet port 132 is partially open. In this mode,which may be referred to as a modulation mode, some exhaust gas isdirected towards the HP turbine 104 and some exhaust gas bypasses the HPturbine and passes directly to the LP turbine 106. FIG. 8 d depicts amode in which both the first and the second outlet ports 131, 132 arefully open and the third outlet port 133 remains closed. In this modeexhaust gas can flow through both the HP turbine 104 and the LP turbine106, but in practice flows almost exclusively to the LP turbine becausethis is a route of less resistance than flowing via the HP turbine. FIG.8 e depicts a mode in which all three outlet ports 131-133 are open. Inthis mode exhaust gas flows almost exclusively out of the third outletport 133 (the wastegate) because this is the route of lowest resistance.

FIG. 9 depicts in perspective view the LP turbine housing 109 of theembodiment depicted in FIGS. 7 and 8. The LP turbine housing 109 isviewed from an opposite side compared with FIG. 7 and thus provides aperspective view of the interior of the valve chamber 124. The firstoutlet port 131, second outlet port 132 and third outlet port 133 areall visible. As can be seen from FIG. 9, there is no separation in theaxial direction (i.e. the direction of an axis of the valve rotor)between the outlet ports 131-133. In addition, there is no separation inthe axial direction between the inlet port 130 and the outlet ports131-133. This is in contrast with the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 inwhich the third outlet port 33 is axially offset from the inlet port 30and the first and second outlet ports 31, 32 (see FIG. 5). An advantagewhich arises from avoiding an axial offset between the inlet port 130and the third outlet port 133 is that exhaust flowing through the valve108 is not required to make sharp turns when passing through the valve,thereby avoiding pressure loss and associated back-pressure which wouldbe caused by those sharp turns. This improves engine efficiency byreducing pumping losses via reduction of pressure loss in theturbocharger system 100.

A recess 129 is provided in a wall 134 of the valve chamber 124 whichextends between the second outlet port 132 and the third outlet port 133(the wastegate). The recess 129, which extends between the second outletport 132 and the third outlet port 133, has a depth of 0.8 mm. A recessdepth of at least 0.25 mm may be desirable in order to providesufficient clearance to accommodate wall deflection (wall deflection isdiscussed below). The recess 129 may be deeper, for example having adepth of up to 1.5 mm (the recess 129 will provide an exhaust gasleakage path and a depth greater than 1.5 mm may cause an undesirableamount of exhaust gas leakage).

The recess 129 does not extend fully from one end of the valve chamberwall 134 to the other end of the valve chamber wall, but instead isprovided at a central portion of the wall. The central portion of thewall 134 may be considered to be a portion which includes a centre pointhalf way between ends of the wall (the ends of the wall being definedwith respect to the second outlet port 132). The recess 129 may forexample have a length of around 18 mm. A recess length of at least 5 mmmay be desirable in order to provide sufficient length to accommodatesome wall deflection. The recess 129 may be longer than 18 mm, forexample with a length of up to 25 mm (a length greater than this maygive rise to an excessive amount of exhaust gas leakage).

The recess 129 allows some deflection of the wall 134 towards the valverotor 121 to occur during operation of the turbocharger system 100without the wall 134 coming into contact with the valve rotor. If thewall 134 were to come into contact with the valve rotor 121 then thiswould liable to prevent the valve rotor from rotating, thereby stoppingthe turbocharger system 100 from working correctly.

Deflection of the wall 134 towards the valve rotor 121 will occur whenthe valve rotor covers the third outlet port 133 (the wastegate) whilstthe second outlet port 132 (the HP bypass) is open. In thisconfiguration there is a high thermal mass of exhaust gas flowingthrough the second outlet port 132 but no thermal mass of exhaust gasflowing through the third outlet port 133. As a result, one side of thewall 134 is heated considerably by exhaust gas whereas the other side ofthe wall is not heated by exhaust gas. This heating of one side of thewall 134 causes it to bend and causes some deflection of the wallradially inwards towards the valve rotor 121. The recess 129 provided inthe wall 134 prevents the wall from coming into contact with the valverotor 121 when this deflection occurs.

Other positions of the valve rotor 121 (and correspondingly otheroperating modes of the turbocharger system 100) may cause differentthermal masses of exhaust to flow through the second and third outletports 132, 133 which may also cause bending of the wall 134 due todifferent amounts of heating on either side of the wall. This maysimilarly cause deflection of the wall 134 towards the valve rotor 121.Again, the recess 129 acts to prevent the wall 134 from coming intocontact with the valve rotor 121.

No recess is provided in the wall 142 which extends between the firstoutlet port 131 and the second outlet port 132. This is because thatwall 142 is thicker than the wall 134 which extends between the secondoutlet port 132 and the third outlet port 133, and as a result does notsuffer from significant deflection during operation of the turbochargersystem 100. The relative thicknesses of the walls 134, 142 between theoutlet ports 131-133 is most clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in which itcan be seen that the wall 142 between the first and second outlet ports131, 132 is significantly thicker than the wall 134 between the secondand third outlet ports 132, 133.

If the wall 142 between the first outlet port 131 and the second outletport 132 were thinner such that it suffered from significant deflection,then a recess could be provided in that wall. The form of the recess maycorrespond with the recess 129 described above. In general, a recess maybe provided in any wall between ports, for example if there is a risk ofthat wall deflecting towards the valve rotor 121 and coming into contactwith the valve rotor.

Not providing a recess in the wall 142 between the first and secondoutlet ports 131, 132 may be advantageous because, where this is thecase, when the second outlet port is closed there is no exhaust gasleakage path in that wall to the second outlet port 132. This allows theturbocharger system 100 to be run in a mode in which a small amount ofexhaust gas is directed through the first outlet port 131 and backpressure is generated which causes engine heating and allows catalystregeneration to be performed. If a recess were to be provided in thewall 142 between the first and second outlet ports 131, 132 then itmight not be possible to generate enough back pressure to causesufficient engine heating for catalyst regeneration. The recess 129 inthe wall between the second outlet port 132 and the third outlet port133 does not have a significant effect upon the generation of backpressure in the catalyst regeneration mode because both of these outletports are closed by valve rotor 121 when operating in the catalystregeneration mode.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the valve rotor 121.The valve rotor comprises a main body 122 and end stub shafts 123. Thevalve rotor 121 rotates about an axis which extends along the center ofthe main body 122. The main body 122 of the valve rotor 121 is formed asa cut-away cylinder. The cut-out portion defines a valve passage 125 inthe valve chamber 124 (see FIGS. 7-9). The cut-out valve passage 125 isoffset in the axial direction along the main body 122, leavingcylindrical portions 122 a and 122 b at each end. A radially outersurface 126 of the rotor 121 generally forms an arc of a cylinder and isable to rotate freely within the cylindrical valve chamber 124. Areduced diameter portion 123 a is provided at the end of one of the stubshafts 123. The reduced diameter portion 123 a may include a flat (notdepicted) for coupling to a suitable actuator (not depicted).

Two recesses extend circumferentially around the radially outer surface126 of the main body 122. A first recess 150 is axially offset from afirst cylindrical portion 122 a of the main body 122. A second recess152 partially overlaps with a second cylindrical portion 122 b of themain body 122. The recesses 150, 152 have a depth of 0.18 mm. A recessdepth of at least 0.1 mm may be desirable in order to provide sufficientclearance to accommodate some deflection of valve housing material (thisdeflection is discussed below). The recesses 150, 152 may be deeper, forexample having a depth of up to 0.5 mm (the recesses will provideexhaust gas leakage paths and a depth greater than 0.5 mm may cause anundesirable amount of exhaust gas leakage). The recesses 150, 152 mayhave different depths or may have the same depth. The recesses 150, 152are 7 mm wide. The recesses 150, 152 may be wider than this, for examplewith a width of up to 20 mm (recesses wider than this might allow toomuch exhaust gas leakage). The recesses 150, 152 may be narrower thanthis, for example with a width of at least 1 mm (recesses narrower thanthis might not be sufficiently large to accommodate deflected valvehousing material). The recesses 150, 152 may have different widths ormay have the same width. In general, the recesses 150, 152 may bedimensioned such that they are sufficiently large to accommodatedeflected material from the outlet ports 131, 132.

The first and second recesses 150, 152 are axially aligned with ends ofthe first and second outlet ports 131, 132 (see FIG. 9). Corners of thefirst and second outlet ports 131, 132 may suffer from thermal fatigueduring operation of the turbocharger system 100. Where this is the casecracks will form in the corners of the first and second outlet ports131, 132. These cracks will deflect valve housing material radiallyinwardly towards the valve rotor 121. The recesses 150, 152 providelocalized clearance which allows radially inward deflection of thehousing material to occur without that material coming into contact withthe valve rotor 121. Thus, the recesses 150, 152 prevent such materialfrom pressing against the valve rotor 121. This in turn avoids theradially inwardly deflected material stopping or inhibiting rotation ofthe valve rotor 121.

The wall 134 between the second and third outlet ports 132, 133 does nothave a constant thickness but instead tapers towards the central portionof the wall, where the recess 129 is located. A point of maximumdeflection of the wall 134 is not located at the middle of the wall 134but instead is shifted axially inwardly towards one corner 129 a of therecess 129. This is because the part of the wall 134 at that end of therecess 129 has a longer unsupported length than the part of the wall atthe other end of the recess (the third outlet port 133 extends axiallyfurther on one side of the recess than on the other side of the recess).There is a degree of axial overlap between the first recess 150 in themain body 122 of the valve rotor 121 and the recess 129 in the wall 134.This axial overlap allows for deflection of the corner 129 a of therecess into the first recess 150. The axial overlap may for example bearound 1 mm. Providing a greater axial overlap than this may provide anundesirably large compound leakage path.

As can be seen in FIG. 9, one end of the third outlet port 133 is notaligned with corresponding ends of the first and second outlet ports131, 132. As will be appreciated from considering FIGS. 9 and 10 incombination, a recess which aligns with that end of the third outletport 133 is not provided in the valve rotor 121. A recess is notrequired because there is more material at the third outlet port 133than at the other outlet ports 131, 132 and this makes it less prone tocracking (the third outlet port heats up and cools down more slowly andtherefore is less prone to thermal fatigue).

Although two recesses 150, 152 are depicted in FIG. 10, in an embodimenta single recess may be provided. This may be done for example if morematerial is provided on one side of the outlet ports 131, 132 such thatsignificant thermal fatigue and resulting cracking will not occur atthat side (the recess being provided on the side at which thermalfatigue and cracking will occur).

Edges of the recesses 129, 150, 152 may be cut at a 45° angle. Cuttingat a 45° angle is advantageous because it allows standard tooling to beused to cut the recesses. However, the edges may be cut at any othersuitable angle. The edges may be straight (when viewed incross-section). Alternatively, the edges may be curved (although curvededges may be more difficult to cut).

The recesses 129, 150, 152 have a flat bottom surface. This allows easyproduction of the recesses, and makes measuring the depth of therecesses straightforward. However, the recesses may have any suitableshape.

In an alternative embodiment the recesses may have a scalloped shape.However, the scalloped shape is more difficult and costly to produce,and it may be difficult to ensure accurate location of edges of therecesses.

A recess may be provided in a wall between outlet ports 31, 32 of thevalve depicted in FIG. 5. One or more recesses may be provided in thevalve rotor depicted in FIG. 2.

The turbocharger system of the present invention may also be operated toassist exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). In an EGR system a portion ofthe exhaust gas taken from the exhaust manifold is reintroduced into theinlet manifold of the engine for further combustion with a view toreducing engine emissions. An EGR recirculation path allows a portion ofthe exhaust gas to flow the intake manifold of the engine via an EGRcooler. Flow through the exhaust recirculation path is controlled by anEGR control valve. The EGR control valve may be any one of a variety ofconventional types commonly used in such an application, includingbutterfly valves, flap valves, rotary valves etc.

With modern highly efficient turbocharger systems, the boost pressure ofthe inlet manifold can often exceed the exhaust gas pressure at theexhaust manifold making the reintroduction of the recirculated exhaustgas to the inlet manifold problematical, for instance requiringdedicated EGR pumps etc. With the present invention, the exhaust gascontrol valve can be operated in such a way as to effectively reduceturbocharging efficiency below the maximum that could be achieved forany given engine operating condition in order to maintain back pressureat a level necessary to facilitate exhaust gas recirculation. In otherwords, the exhaust control valve 8 may be operated in such a way as tooptimise engine intake and exhaust manifold conditions for exhaust gasrecirculation in order to reduce emissions whilst at the same timeminimising the air-fuel ratio for better fuel consumption.

The valve is conveniently located in, or adjacent to, the housing of theLP turbine. It will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments ofthe invention the exhaust flow control valve may be housed in a separatevalve housing which is not part of either of the two turbochargers. Suchan embodiment would for instance allow retrofitting of the control valve8 to a two-stage turbocharging system. In other embodiments of theinvention, the exhaust flow control valve could for instance be housedwithin the HP turbine housing. In yet other embodiments, the HP turbineand LP turbines may be combined in a common housing, the exhaust controlvalve being located within that common turbine housing.

Turbines may be of a fixed or variable geometry type. Variable geometryturbines differ from fixed geometry turbines in that the size of theinlet passageway can be varied to optimise gas flow velocities over arange of mass flow rates so that the power output of the turbine can bevaried to suite varying engine demands. For instance, when the volume ofexhaust gas being delivered to the turbine is relatively low, thevelocity of the gas reaching the turbine wheel is maintained at a levelwhich ensures efficient turbine operation by reducing the size of theannular inlet passageway. Turbochargers provided with a variablegeometry turbine are referred to as variable geometry turbochargers.

In one known type of variable geometry turbine, an axially moveable wallmember, defines one wall of the inlet passageway. The position of themember relative to a facing wall of the inlet passageway is adjustableto control the axial width of the inlet passageway. Thus, for example,as gas flow through the turbine decreases, the inlet passageway widthmay be decreased to maintain gas velocity and optimise turbine output.The variable geometry mechanism of the turbine may incorporate an arrayof vanes for directing the gas flow to the turbine wheel generallyreferred to in the art as “nozzle rings”. Such vanes may move with themoveable wall member relative to a shroud plate having apertures inwhich the vanes are received or they may be fixed relative to theturbine housing and the moveable wall member may be in the form of ashroud that moves over the vanes.

Another known type of variable geometry turbine is the “swing vane”type. This comprises a variable guide vane array with adjustable guidevanes located in the turbine inlet passageway. Each vane is pivotableabout a respective pivot axis extending across the inlet parallel to theturbine axis. A vane actuating mechanism is provided which is linked toeach of the vanes and is displaceable in a manner which causes each ofthe vanes to move in unison, such a movement enabling thecross-sectional area of the inlet, and also the angle of approach of thegas turbine wheel, to be controlled.

Although two-stage turbocharging systems comprising fixed geometryturbines may in some respects provide an alternative to the use ofrelatively complex and expensive variable geometry turbochargers, one(or even both) of the turbochargers of a two stage turbocharging systemaccording to the present invention could be a variable geometryturbocharger (of any type). This may be desirable for instance tofurther improve control over the turbocharging system and the ability tooptimise turbocharging performance across a wide range of engineconditions.

In the above described embodiments of the invention there is a single HPturbine. However, it will be appreciated that a turbocharging systemaccording to the present invention could for instance include twoparallel HP turbines. For example, each of two HP turbines could receivean exhaust gas flow from a respective bank of cylinders from amulti-cylinder engine (for instance each receiving exhaust gas from onebank of a “V” configured engine).

In embodiments comprising more than one HP turbine, HP turbines can belinked to a common HP compressor or to separate respective HPcompressors.

Alternatively, rather than providing two separate HP turbines to receiveexhaust gas flow from two separate banks of engine cylinders, a singletwin entry HP turbine could be included in a turbocharger systemaccording to the present invention. Moreover, in a turbocharger systemaccording to the present invention comprising one or more HP turbines,each of the HP turbines could be configured as a twin-entry turbine.

Similarly, it will be appreciated that a turbocharging system inaccordance with the present invention could have more than one set ofsequentially connected turbochargers operating in parallel. Forinstance, a first turbocharging system generally as described abovecould receive an exhaust gas flow from a first set of cylinders of amulti-cylinder combustion engine, and a second sequential turbochargingarrangement as described above could receive exhaust gas flow from asecond set of cylinders of the engine (each “set” could comprise asingle cylinder).

It will further be appreciated that the present invention is not limitedto a two-stage sequential turbocharging system, but could be embodied ina turbocharging system comprising more than two turbine stages connectedin series.

Other applications and modifications of the invention as described abovewill be apparent to the appropriately skilled person.

The described and illustrated embodiments are to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and thatall changes and modifications that come within the scope of theinventions as defined in the claims are desired to be protected. Itshould be understood that while the use of words such as “preferable”,“preferably”, “preferred” or “more preferred” in the description suggestthat a feature so described may be desirable, it may nevertheless not benecessary and embodiments lacking such a feature may be contemplated aswithin the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Inrelation to the claims, it is intended that when words such as “a,”“an,” “at least one,” or “at least one portion” are used to preface afeature there is no intention to limit the claim to only one suchfeature unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim. Whenthe language “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” is used the itemcan include a portion and/or the entire item unless specifically statedto the contrary.

What is claimed is:
 1. A turbocharger system comprising: a primary inletfor flow communication with an exhaust gas manifold of an engine and anexhaust outlet; a first relatively small turbocharger having a firstturbine with an inlet and an outlet; a second relatively largeturbocharger having a second turbine with an inlet and an outlet; aprimary exhaust gas flow path including an inlet portion for deliveringexhaust gas to the inlet of the first turbine and an intermediateportion for delivering exhaust gas from the outlet of the first turbineto the inlet of the second turbine; a first bypass flow path in gas flowcommunication with the primary inlet and the inlet of the second turbinethereby bypassing the first turbine; a second bypass flow path in gasflow communication with the primary inlet and the exhaust outlet therebybypassing the second turbine; and an exhaust gas flow control valveoperable to: i) permit or prevent selectively exhaust gas flow throughthe primary exhaust flow path; ii) permit or prevent selectively exhaustgas flow through the first bypass path; iii) permit or preventselectively exhaust gas flow through the second bypass path; wherein theexhaust flow control valve is situated in the inlet portion of theprimary exhaust gas flow path so as to permit or allow gas flow throughthe primary flow path by permitting or allowing gas flow through theinlet portion of the primary flow path; wherein the exhaust gas flowcontrol valve comprises a primary inlet port communicating with theprimary inlet; a primary outlet port communicating with the inletportion of the primary flow path; a first bypass outlet portcommunicating with the first bypass path; and a second bypass outletport communicating with the second bypass path; and wherein a recess isprovided in a wall which extends between two of the outlet ports.
 2. Theturbocharger of claim 1, wherein the wall extends between the firstbypass outlet port and the second bypass outlet port.
 3. Theturbocharger of claim 1, wherein the recess is provided at a centralportion of the wall.
 4. The turbocharger of claim 1, wherein the recesshas a depth of at least 0.25 mm.
 5. The turbocharger of claim 1, whereinthe recess has a flat bottom surface.
 6. The turbocharger of claim 1,wherein the recess has straight edges cut at an angle.
 7. A turbochargersystem comprising: a primary inlet for flow communication with anexhaust gas manifold of an engine and an exhaust outlet; a firstrelatively small turbocharger having a first turbine with an inlet andan outlet; a second relatively large turbocharger having a secondturbine with an inlet and an outlet; a primary exhaust gas flow pathincluding an inlet portion for delivering exhaust gas to the inlet ofthe first turbine and an intermediate portion for delivering exhaust gasfrom the outlet of the first turbine to the inlet of the second turbine;a first bypass flow path in gas flow communication with the primaryinlet and the inlet of the second turbine thereby bypassing the firstturbine; a second bypass flow path in gas flow communication with theprimary inlet and the exhaust outlet thereby bypassing the secondturbine; and an exhaust gas flow control valve comprising a valve rotorheld in a valve chamber, the exhaust gas flow control valve beingoperable to: i) permit or prevent selectively exhaust gas flow throughthe primary exhaust flow path; ii) permit or prevent selectively exhaustgas flow through the first bypass path; iii) permit or preventselectively exhaust gas flow through the second bypass path; wherein theexhaust flow control valve is situated in the inlet portion of theprimary exhaust gas flow path so as to permit or allow gas flow throughthe primary flow path by permitting or allowing gas flow through theinlet portion of the primary flow path; wherein the exhaust gas flowcontrol valve comprises a primary inlet port communicating with theprimary inlet; a primary outlet port communicating with the inletportion of the primary flow path; a first bypass outlet portcommunicating with the first bypass path; and a second bypass outletport communicating with the second bypass path; and wherein the valverotor is provided with a recess which extends circumferentially around aradially outer surface of the valve rotor, the recess being aligned withan end of at least one of the outlet ports.
 8. The turbocharger systemof claim 7, wherein the valve rotor is provided with a second recesswhich extends circumferentially around a radially outer surface of thevalve rotor, the second recess being aligned with an opposite end of theat least one outlet port.
 9. The turbocharger system of claim 8, whereinthe recesses in the valve rotor are aligned with ends of the primaryoutlet port.
 10. The turbocharger system of claim 8, wherein therecesses in the valve rotor are aligned with ends of the first bypassoutlet port.
 11. The turbocharger system of claim 7, wherein the recesshas a depth of at least 0.1 mm.
 12. The turbocharger system of claim 7,wherein the recess has a width of at least 1 mm.
 13. The turbochargersystem of claim 8, wherein one of the recesses is axially offset from afirst cylindrical portion of the valve rotor
 14. The turbocharger systemof claim 8, wherein one of the recesses partially overlaps with a secondcylindrical portion of the valve rotor.
 15. The turbocharger system ofclaim 8, wherein one of the recesses axially overlaps with a recessprovided in a wall which extends between two of the outlet ports.
 16. Aturbocharger system comprising: a primary inlet for flow communicationwith an exhaust gas manifold of an engine and an exhaust outlet; a firstrelatively small turbocharger having a first turbine with an inlet andan outlet; a second relatively large turbocharger having a secondturbine with an inlet and an outlet; a primary exhaust gas flow pathincluding an inlet portion for delivering exhaust gas to the inlet ofthe first turbine and an intermediate portion for delivering exhaust gasfrom the outlet of the first turbine to the inlet of the second turbine;a first bypass flow path in gas flow communication with the primaryinlet and the inlet of the second turbine thereby bypassing the firstturbine; a second bypass flow path in gas flow communication with theprimary inlet and the exhaust outlet thereby bypassing the secondturbine; and an exhaust gas flow control valve operable to: i) permit orprevent selectively exhaust gas flow through the primary exhaust flowpath; ii) permit or prevent selectively exhaust gas flow through thefirst bypass path; iii) permit or prevent selectively exhaust gas flowthrough the second bypass path; wherein the exhaust flow control valveis situated in the inlet portion of the primary exhaust gas flow path soas to permit or allow gas flow through the primary flow path bypermitting or allowing gas flow through the inlet portion of the primaryflow path; wherein the exhaust gas flow control valve comprises aprimary inlet port communicating with the primary inlet; a primaryoutlet port communicating with the inlet portion of the primary flowpath; a first bypass outlet port communicating with the first bypasspath; and a second bypass outlet port communicating with the secondbypass path; and wherein there is no separation in the axial directionbetween the inlet port, the primary outlet port, first bypass port andthe second bypass port.
 17. A system comprising: a primary inlet forflow communication with an exhaust gas manifold of an engine and anexhaust outlet; a first turbocharger having a first turbine with aninlet and an outlet; a second turbocharger having a second turbine withan inlet and an outlet, the second turbocharger being larger than thefirst turbocharger; a primary exhaust gas flow path including an inletportion for delivering exhaust gas to the inlet of the first turbine andan intermediate portion for delivering exhaust gas from the outlet ofthe first turbine to the inlet of the second turbine; a first bypassflow path in gas flow communication with the primary inlet and the inletof the second turbine thereby bypassing the first turbine; a secondbypass flow path in gas flow communication with the primary inlet andthe exhaust outlet thereby bypassing the second turbine; and an exhaustgas flow control valve operable to: i) selectively control exhaust gasflow through the primary exhaust flow path; ii) selectively controlexhaust gas flow through the first bypass path; iii) selectively controlexhaust gas flow through the second bypass path; wherein the exhaustflow control valve is situated in the inlet portion of the primaryexhaust gas flow path so as to permit or allow gas flow through theprimary flow path by permitting or allowing gas flow through the inletportion of the primary flow path; and wherein the exhaust gas flowcontrol valve comprises a primary inlet port communicating with theprimary inlet; a primary outlet port communicating with the inletportion of the primary flow path; a first bypass outlet portcommunicating with the first bypass path; and a second bypass outletport communicating with the second bypass path.
 18. A system accordingto claim 17, wherein the valve is operable in a first mode to block flowthrough the first and second bypass outlet ports, a second mode in whichflow is permitted through the first bypass outlet port to allow at leasta portion of the exhaust gas flow to bypass the first turbine alone, anda third mode in which flow is permitted through said second bypassoutlet port to allow at least a portion of the exhaust gas flow tobypass both the first and second turbines.
 19. A system according toclaim 18, wherein in said third mode exhaust gas flow is permittedthrough both the first and second bypass outlet ports.
 20. A systemaccording to claim 18, wherein when operating in said second mode thefirst bypass outlet port is at least partially unobstructed and thesecond bypass outlet port is fully obstructed.